Maersk meets internal 2020 emissions goals

Friday, January 25, 2013

Maersk Line, the world’s largest container shipping company, said Friday it has reached its internal 2020 target of reducing CO2 emissions by 25 percent from its benchmark 2007 levels.
“We are proud to hit this mark eight years ahead of schedule,” said Morten Engelstoft, chief operating officer for Maersk Line. “It is confirmation we’re on the right track. And to keep that momentum we’re raising the target to a 40 percent reduction in CO2 by 2020.
“Maersk Line’s focus on energy efficiency has made the company significantly more cost competitive. And by cutting our CO2 we’ve also lowered the CO2 emissions of our customers, thereby helping them meet their own CO2 targets," he added.
Benchmarking data makes it possible for all customers to compare their shipping suppliers based on CO2 performance.
“We see an increased environmental awareness among our customers, so when we improve our environmental performance, we also improve our customer relationships,” Engelstoft said.
It's estimated the shipping industry carries 90 percent of globally traded goods, and while shipping is the most energy efficient way to transport cargo long distances, the contribution of CO2 to the atmosphere is 3 to 4 percent of the global annual total.
“Cutting CO2 is a benefit for our business, not a threat to it,” Engelstoft said. “We reached this target largely from a combination of operational efficiency, network and voyage optimization, slow steaming and technical innovation. We will hit the 40 percent target with more of the same.
“Other important factors will be the continued cooperation with our vessel leasing partners to retrofit their ships, and the arrival this year and next of the Triple-E vessels, which will be the largest and most energy efficient ships on the water,” he said.
Maersk’s CO2 emissions are measured according to a methodology developed by the Clean Cargo Working Group (grams of CO2 per container carried one kilometer). The data is independently verified by Lloyd’s Register. - Eric Johnson